July 6, 2012

On July 4th, AKB48 member Kitahara Rie held a handshake event in Taiwan to celebrate the 1st year anniversary of AKB48 Official Shop Taiwan.
Kitahara arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport, where she was welcomed by over 300 fans and 12 media companies. When she walked out into the airport lobby, the crowd excitedly called out, “Rie-chan!” and “I love you!“. In response, Kitahara said, “Thank you!”
During the press conference, Kitahara greeted in Mandarin Chinese, “Hello everyone. I am Kitahara Rie. I love Taiwan!” When reporters asked, “Is there anything you’d like to eat in Taiwan?“, she replied, “When we opened last year, Watanabe Mayu-chan gave rave reviews about somen with horumon (giblets) in it, so I want to eat that.”
After the press conference, Kitahara held a handshake event with local fans. Along with 300 fans who made advanced reservations to meet the idol, there were many people who participated unannounced.
Check out pictures of Kitahara Rie in Taiwan below!